Fox analyst blatantly lies about top military officials who say the Iran deal is working

Top Trump advisers have said in testimony and in interviews that Iran is in compliance with the nuclear agreement and that remaining in the deal is in the national security interest of the United States

Written by Media Matters Staff

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After President Donald Trump announced that he will not recertify the Iran nuclear deal, claiming that Iran has committed “multiple violations of the agreement,” Fox News military analyst retired Gen. Jack Keane claimed that there was a consensus among Trump and his top advisers that Iran was not meeting the strategic concerns or the spirit of the of the deal. According to Keane, “media misrepresentations these last few days about Mattis disagreeing, McMaster disagreeing, Tillerson disagreeing is just a bunch of fooey.” From the October 13 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered Overtime:

HARRIS FAULKNER (HOST): In his decision on the Iran nuclear deal, the president makes the argument that Tehran is violating the spirit of the accord, which was aimed at promoting regional stability. The president points to Iran being a leading state sponsor of terror, its continued missile tests, and support for Syria's brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad as proof that it is not living up to the goals of that agreement. Let's bring in retired four-star Army general and Fox News military analyst General Jack Keane. General, before we get going with this deal, I want to set the stage here, because this is the first time since the president has spoken that you're able now to tell us some embargoed information. You actually talked with the president. I'm curious to know what he was seeking in terms of guidance about this this deal just before he made the announcement. 

JACK KEANE: Well, I didn't speak to him, but I spoke to others who did. First of all, the media misrepresentation these last few days about [Secretary of Defense James] Mattis disagreeing, [national security adviser H.R.] McMaster disagreeing, [Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson disagreeing is just a bunch of fooey.  The fact is there's been-- while there's usually not complete consensus on any one of these national security issues because, Harris, they're tough and complicated things to be sure, but there is consensus here. 

In fact, the reasons Trump cited as Iran's violations of the nuclear deal are not actually terms of the deal. And, in its post-announcement coverage, CNN ran a video montage showing three of Trump's top advisers confirming that Iran is indeed in compliance of the deal and that it is in the strategic interest of the United States to remain in the deal. From the October 13 edition of CNN's Wolf:

WOLF BLITZER (HOST): In recent weeks, several of the president's top national security advisers made no secret of their conviction that Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal. Listen to this.

[BEGIN VIDEO]

GEN. JOSEPH DUNFORD: Iran is not in material breach of the agreement, and I do believe the agreement to date has delayed the development of a nuclear capability by Iran. 

SEC. REX TILLERSON: My view on the nuclear deal is they are in technical compliance of the nuclear arrangement. 

SEN. ANGUS KING: Do you believe it's in our national security interest at the present time to remain in the JCPOA? That's a yes or no question. 

SEC. JAMES MATTIS: Yes, senator, I do.

[END VIDEO]